Musical instrument



A. H. BOETTCHER.

MUSICAL lNSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED act. :1. 1915. RENEWED MAY 14, 1921.

1,402,474, 7 Patented Jan. 3,1922,

2 SHEETS-*SHEET I.

I I l yam,

A. H. BOETTCHER.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION man OCT. 11, 1915. RENEWED MAY 14,1921. 1,402,474.

r M45 2 O H 14 M A ARTHUR H. BOETTCEER, OI CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GULBRANSEN- DICKINSON COMPANY, OF NOIS.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. A CORPORATION OF ILLI- MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Application filed October 11, 1915, Serial No. 55,169. Renewed May 1 To clZ til/71077212} may concern Be it known that Anrrrun H. Bon r'ronnn, a citizen of the United States. residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful. Improvement in Musical Instruments, of which the following is a full, cl ar, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to musical instru ments and is particularly concerned. with piano players or player pianos. is will appear, my invention is app 'cable to plane in -gels or piayer pianos. which are oper- LOCL either pneumatically or electrically.

sc iption of my invention, however, by means of an exemplary construction, I shall explain the structure and the mode of operation thereof by reference to a pneumatically operated device.

. My invention is concerned particularly with the provision of means for maintaining the proper alignment between the usual perforated note sheet and the'usual trackerboard, both well known in the art. As is commonly understood, it is the practice to pass the note sheet from a spool, over the tracker-board, to a so-called take-up roll, the spool and the roll and the tracker-board being arranged parallel to each other. t is of course necessary to maintain the proper alignment between the openings in the notesheet and the openings in the tracker-board during the playing operation so that the opening and shuttingof the tracker-board passageways may properly take place. I am aware that devices have heretofore been employed for the broad purpose outlined, but in certain respects 1 following the teachings of the earlier art in so far as the fundamental principles are concerned. For instance, it is old to'maintain the proper feeding of a strip of paper from a roll by providing means for moving the roll slightly from one side to the other, this means being controlled by what may be termed a test device engaged by the edge of the strip of pa er as it is fed from the roll.

My invention employs precisely this fundamental principle with the exception that it guides the paper to the roll instead of from the roll, the important feature ofthe Specification of Letters Patent.

n order to pres full and complete de- Patented J an. 3, 1922.

1821. Serial No. 469,496.

invention residing in the means whereby the roll is moved from side to side.

In following up the point last, mentioned, it may be pointed out that it is the theory of the present invention to utilize the turning movement of the roll which of course is imparted to it in the playing operation, in securing the movement of the roll longitudinal of its own axis and the appended claims are drawn more or less broadly towards a structure having this mode of operation.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a player piano involving the features of my invention, the front. panels having been removed to reveal the interior construction.

Fig. 2 is a View of the roller box and the associated parts, drawn on a larger scale,

Fig. 3 is a detail View of a valve mechanism employed,

Fig. 4' is a sectional view taken on the plane of the line 1, 4 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction indicated by the'arrows,and

F 1g. 5 is a sectional view taken on the plane of the line 5, 5 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring first to Figure 1, the piano casing is illustrated at 6, the key-board for manual playing being illustrated at 7 The action is shown at 8, this action having the usual vacuum chamber 9, which by means of-a conduit 10 is connected with a windchest 11, from which air is exhausted by means of pumper bellows 12, 12, operated by means of the pedals 13, 13.

Upon a shelf 14, suitably set in the case 6, a roller-b02115 is mounted, a motor 16 being suitably associated with the roller-box in order to impart rotary movement to the of the box 15. Below the tracker-board 17 a take-up roll shaft 21 is suitably journaled in the sides of the box, this shaft, outside the box, being providedwith a gear-wheel to be operatively connected with the motor shaft 23 by means of a clutch 24. The clutch 24 also is adapted to 'operatively connect the sprocket wheel 25 with the shaft 23, the sprocket wheel 25 being connected by means of the sprocket chain 26 with a sprocket wheel 27 on the shaft 19.

A lever 28 is pivoted to, the side of'the box 15 at 29, the upper end of this lever being adapted toform a drag on the shaft 19 brake 30. These features are well-known in the art and'need no further description.

I The arrangement is such that when the pinion 22 is in operative relation to the motor shaft a drag is formed on the shaft 19 and when the position is reversed so that the sprocket wheel 25 is operatively connected with the motor shaft, the drag is placed on the shaft 21, so as toke'ep the sheet of paper taut in bothinstances. As shown, and as well known, the paper passes from the music spool 20 to the take up roll 1, mounted upon the shaft 21, during the playing operation and moves in the reverse direction during the re-winding operation.

The take-up roll 31 is mounted upon the shaft 21 with a friction grip anda key 32 eo-operating with a corresponding key-way in the roll unites the roll with the shaft for angular movement, but permits relative longitudinal movement. At each end thereof the roll 31 is provided with an axial boss 33, the boss at the left-hand end having a right-hand thread and the boss at the righthand end having a left-hand thread. Witheach of the bosses 33, 33 a rising and falling block 34 is arranged to co-operate. the

upper face of this block having a thread cut therein, as shown, to correspond to the thread on the boss with which it (to-operates.

The block 34 is supported and carried upon a vertical rod 35 which is mounted for reciprocationin a tubular support 36 secured uponthe base-board 37 of the roller-box, the

rod 35 passing through the base-board, as

shown. A pin 38 on the rod 35 operates in a slot 39 in the tube 36 so as to prevent angular movement of the rod 35.

Below the base-board 37 therod 35 is connected with the movable board 40 of an Normally the interior of the actuating pneumatic 41is connected with the atmosphere by means of the channel 43, the valve chamber 44 and the port 45in thebaseboard37. The valve 48 is mounted in the valve chamber 44 upon a valve stem 49, this valve being normally seated upon a ring seat 50' and closing'the communication between the valve chamber 44 and. a tube 51,

'- mechanism which has been described isthe same on both sides, the same mechanism being provided for each block 34.

A lever is mounted upon a pivot 56 on and the lower end being adapted to form a jthe side of the roller-box 15. The lower end drag on the gear-wheel 22 by means of the of the lever 55 is connected by means of a rod 57 with the lever 28, all for a purpose which will be described presently.

Mounted in a bushing 58 set in the side wall of the box 15, is an easilysliding rod 59 at the end of which a testing plate 60 is secured. The other end of the rod 59 is provided with a head 61 which is'adapted to be ably, in order that the lever may tend to 1 move in a counterclockwise direction, the screw 62 then consequently engaging the head 61 of the rod 59. As illustrated in Figure 2, the test plate 60 is adapted to engage, with suitably light pressure, the edge of the note-sheet cc and the adjustment is such that when-thenote-sheet is in proper alignment with the tracker-board 17 the valve 64 will just close both of the openings 65 and 66. It will further be apparent that a slight movement in either direction will open one or the other of the openings 65 and 66. The 7 opening 65 ,is connected by means of a tube 70 with the diaphragm chamber 53 of the left-hand rising and falling block 34 and the opening '66 is connected with the corresponding diaphragm chamber ofthe other block 34 by means of the tube 71.

The operation of the device of my invention will now be apparent. 'Normally the diaphragm chamber 53 is kept exhausted of the air byway of the bleeder54. the tube 51 and the vacuum chamber 9. This keeps the valve 48 on its lower seat, closing the passagewayformed by the ring seat 50 and leaving the passageway or port 45' open. This keeps the actuatingpneumatic 41 distended and maintains the engaging block 34' in its lower'position. This condition prevails in both pneumatic unitswhen both the openings65 and 66 are closed,'as they are when the note-sheet as is. in proper alignment with the tracker-board. Let us assume now that the note-sheet departs slightly from this proper alignment by shifting slightly to the right. 7 The test plate 60 will, of course, follow it and it follows that the opening 66 will be exposed to the atmosphere. This means that the diaphragm chamber 53 of the right-hand pneumatic unit will be flooded with air, thus raising the diaphragm, closing off the right-hand actuating pneumatic 41 to the atmosphere and connecting it with the vacuum chamber. Consequently the rod'35 will rise and the right-hand engaging block 34 will engage the corresponding boss 33. This engagement, since under these playing conditions the shaft 21 is being rotated byway of the motor shaft 23, will cause the take-up roll to thread itself towards the left until such time as the opening 66 is closed by the valve 64, this movement being transmitted to the valve by the movement of the test plate 60, which, in turn, is moved by the edge of the note-sheet, drawn back into proper position by the longitudinal movement of the take-up roll. Just as soon as the opening 66 has been closed the valve 48 will drop, the actuating pneumatic 41 will become distended and the block 34 will drop to stop the longitudinal movement of the roll.

As before stated, the adjustment at the screw 62 is such that both openings 65 and 66 are closed when the test plate 60 engages the music-sheet in proper alignment with the tracker-board. If the music-sheet should shift in the opposite direction, the

opening 65 will be opened to allowthe atmosphere to flood the diaphragm chamber 53 of the left-hand pneumatic unit. This will raise the corresponding valve 48 to close oil the atmosphere and connect the corresponding actuating pneumatic 41 with the suction. This will raise the left-hand engaging block 34 causing it to rise into threaded engagement with the right-hand screw thread on the left-hand boss 33, the take-up roll then threading itself toward the right until the opening 65 has again been closed. In this way the note-sheet is kept constantly in proper alignment so that the openings therein may register properly with the openings in the tracker-board.

The upper arm of the lever 55 is adapted to engage the head 61 on the rod 59 when the connecting rod 57 is moved to the right by means of the finger-piece 72, this fingerpiece being moved over when it is desired to re-wind the note-sheet. As shown, the clutch 24 is moved from one side to the other by means of the movement of the lever 28 through the intervention of a pin 73 and thus when the finger-piece 72 is moved over for re-winding, the lever 55 is moved in a counterclockwise direction so as to draw the test plate 60 away from the note-sheet and keep it in that position while a new music-sheet is being inserted. The valve 64 is so formed as to keep both openings 65 and and 66 closed during re-winding and replacing the music-sheet. When the finger-piece 72 is in its left-hand position the upper end of the lever 55 is entirely disengaged from the rod 59 audit is free to play the proper amount in either direction in order to secure the automatic aligning action which has been described.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the pneumatic operation is utilized for the raising of the blocks 34 since the power of the instrument is pneumatic. The same operation may be secured .by means of an electro-magnet substituted for the pneumatic unit, the valve 64 instead of controling a pneumatic circuit, operating as a switch to control electriccircuits. I presume that because of the well-known equivalency of these two circuits, it will be unnecessary for me to describe the electric circuit and operating mechanism in detail. The appended claims have been drawn accordingly.

If desired the rotary movement of the shaft 21 may be transformed into longitudinal movement of the tracker-board andit will be equally clear that certain of the appended claims cover a longitudinally movable roll in the combination, whether that roll be the spool or the take-up roll.

I claim:

1. In a player piano, a shaft, a roll having a thread thereon keyed on said shaft, a member movable in a stationary guide for engaging said thread, and means for controlling the movement of said member.

2. In a player piano, a shaft, a music roll keyed on said shaft and upon which a traveling web may be wound and unwound, a member relative to which said web is required to align, means for imparting rotary movement to said roll, a thread on said roll, and a member movable relative to a station ary guide into and out of engagement with said thread.

3. In a player piano, a shaft, a music roll keyed on said shaft and upon which a traveling web may be wound and unwound, a member relative to which said web is required to align, means for imparting rotary movement to said roll, a thread on said roll, and a member movable relative to a stationary guide into and out of engagement with said thread so that when said member engages said thread said roll will move longitudinally.

4. In a strip-registering mechanism, a strip-carrying spool, a revoluble spindle engaged by said spool and capable of endwise movement, said spindle having a screwthreaded part thereon; a movable thread-en gaging member normally out of engagement with said screw-threaded part, and mechanism operable by pressure from the moving strip on said strip-carrying spool on edgewise movement of the strip to move said thread-engaging member into engagement with said screw-threaded part. '6

5 In a strip-registering mechanism, a strip-carrying spool, a revoluble spindle engaged by said spool and capable of endwise movement, said spindle'being provided with parts having screw-threads of opposite lead, a movable thread-engaging member for each of saidscrewthreaded parts andnormally out of engagement therewith, and mechanism operable by pressure fromthemoving strip on said strip-carrying spool on;edge wise movement of'the strip to move the appropriate thread-engaging member into ac tive position. r V

6. In combination, note sheet mechanism comprising a roller on which a note sheet may be wound or unwound, a tracker bar relative to which said note sheet is required to align, an edge guide responsive to the lateral deviation of said note-sheet, a pair of cooperating threaded members adapted by their relative translational movement to effect a relative shifting adjustment between said note sheet and said tracker bar, an'operating member having mechanical connec tion with said edgeguide, and means operated by said operating member for controlling the operation of said threaded members. 7. In combination, note sheet mechanism comprising a roll upon which a note sheet may be wound or unwound, a tracker bar relative to which said note sheet is required to align, anedge guide responsive to the lateral deviation of said note sheet, a plu rality of cooperating threaded members adapted by their relative translational movement to'efi'ect a relative shifting adjustment between said note sheet and said tracker bar,

a shiftable rod member extending from said edg'e guide, and means operated by said rod tional motion operates to eflect a relative shifting adjustment between said note sheet and said tracker bar, and means connecting said edge guide with said" cooperating threaded membersfor controlling the latter.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my'name'this 7th day of October, A. D. 1915. l i r V ARTHUR H. BOETTGHER. I

Certificate of Correction. It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,402,474, granted January 3, 1922, upon the application of Arthur H. Boettcher, of Chicago, Illinois, for an improvement in Musical Instruments, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, line 94, claim 1, before the Word roll insert the word music; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office. I

Signed and sealed this 14th day of February, A. D., 1922.

[SEAL] KARL FENNING,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

Certificate of Correction.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,402,474, granted January 3, 1922, upon the application of Arthur H. Boettcher, of Chicago, Illinois, for an improvement in Musical Instruments, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 3, line 94, claim 1, before the word roll insert the Word music; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office. I

Signed and sealed this 14th day of February, A. D., 1922.

[SEAL] I KARL FENNING,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

